AMMAN, 6 December 2005 — Iraqi expatriates will be allowed to register for, and cast votes in, the Dec. 15 general elections in 15 countries, including Jordan, head of the panel in charge of arranging elections outside Iraq Hamdiya Husseini announced.
The Independent Higher Commission for Iraq Elections will be coordinating arrangements for holding the elections with the concerned authorities in Jordan, Lebanon, United Arab Emirates, Syria, Iran, Turkey, Britain, Denmark, Sweden, the United States, Holland, Germany, Canada, Australia and Austria, Husseini said.
A total of 13 voting centers have been set up throughout Jordan, 10 in the capital Amman and one in each of the cities of Irbid and Zarqa and the town of Muwaqqar, she added. Official records put the number of Iraqis in Jordan at about 250,000 but unconfirmed reports say their number could exceed 500,000.
The holding of elections for Iraqi expatriates in various centers in Jordan could add fresh security burdens on the Jordanian authorities against the backdrop of the involvement of three Iraqi suicide bombers in the Nov. 9 explosions that rocked three hotels in Amman , killing 60 people and wounding more than 90 others, diplomatic sources said.
